Emotional and social engagement of teenager and young adult students of EFL using MIM (Mobile Instant Messaging)

Abstract

The 2022 EUROCALL conference was held in Reykjavik on 17-19 August 2022 as a fully online event hosted by the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute for Foreign Languages, the University of Iceland, and the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. The conference theme was Intelligent CALL, granular systems and learner data. This theme reflects the newest developments in the field of technology for language learning. Subfields such as natural language processing and machine learning not only enable smoother spoken and written communication between human learners and computers, but also offer ways in which language learning can be tailored to the needs of individual learners. By adding components of automatic speech recognition, text-to-speech systems, automatic feedback mechanisms, and tracking systems monitoring learners’ progress and their use of tools, applications are becoming better targeted. All of this is used to optimise the learning experience of individual learners. This volume includes 66 short papers by some of the EUROCALL 2022 presenters and it offers a combination of research studies and theoretical papers reflecting the subthemes of the conference. The articles are ordered alphabetically.

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258 © 2022 Dunia Martínez and Christine Appel (CC BY)
Emotional and social engagement of teenager
and young adult students of EFL using MIM
(Mobile Instant Messaging)
Dunia Martínez1 and Christine Appel2
Abstract. Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) applications have come into focus as
potential tools to improve English language instruction, and teachers can engage
more students from different backgrounds in English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
classes thanks to MIM apps’ distinctive features, like WhatsApp. Most of the
reported studies on the use of WhatsApp in the teaching of foreign languages were
performed in university or adult learning environments. The present study explores
how social and emotional engagement manifest themselves in a popular instant
messaging application group (WhatsApp) used by teenagers learning EFL. A focus
group, a Likert scale survey, and a transcript of the WhatsApp chat were the three
main sources from which data was gathered. Members’ interaction records were
retrieved and inductive thematic analysis was used to examine them. These ndings
suggest that WhatsApp provided communicative opportunities to all students,
including those who did not fully engage. However, further research with a larger
number of students in different contexts is necessary.
Keywords: engagement, mobile instant messaging, WhatsApp.
1. Introduction
Technological development in mobile technology has been advancing constantly,
improving access to information and communication almost instantly and
anywhere. With the development of mobile technology, the opportunities for
1. Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain; dmartinezfo@uoc.edu; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8094-3161
2. Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain; mappel@uoc.edu; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9528-7002
How to cite this article: Martínez, D., & Appel, C. (2022). Emotional and social engagement of teenager and young adult
students of EFL using MIM (Mobile Instant Messaging). In B. Arnbjörnsdóttir, B. Bédi, L. Bradley, K. Friðriksdóttir,
H. Garðarsdóttir, S. Thouësny, & M. J. Whelpton (Eds), Intelligent CALL, granular systems, and learner data: short papers
from EUROCALL 2022 (pp. 258-265). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2022.61.1468

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Emotional and social engagement of teenager and young adult students...
interaction among the different participants in the teaching-learning process are
expanding (López-Hernández & Silva-Pérez, 2016).
Young students today regularly use smartphones, social media, and instant
messaging. Furthermore, according to recent studies (Rideout & Robb, 2018), teens
prefer texting to talking, suggesting that MIM is their main form of communication.
As a result of their widespread usage of mobile devices, this generation has
developed a technological aptitude and has even begun networking and sharing
via social media and mobile applications. MIM applications have therefore been
identied as potential tools for enhancing foreign language learning (Andújar,
2016; Tang & Hew, 2017).
Although young people use MIM primarily to communicate, Tang and Hew (2017)
claim that “we lack a comprehensive understanding of how MIM applications
are used for teaching and learning” (p. 87). Furthermore, language teachers are
constantly attempting to connect their students to school and learning because
they recognise the importance of student engagement in academic achievement.
When students are working on a task individually or in groups, they may react
differently: some may be completely focused on the task, while others may be on
and off. Engagement is a condition of increased attention and involvement in which
participation is manifested not only cognitively but also socially, behaviourally, and
emotionally (Christenson, Reschly, & Wylie, 2012). Therefore, learner engagement
is essential for learning to be successful.
This study explores how social and emotional engagement manifest themselves
in a popular MIM application, WhatsApp. It aims to gain a better understanding
of how teenage students communicate with one another and the teacher in a
WhatsApp group. This study focuses on emotional and social engagement as social
engagement is inextricably linked to emotional engagement, particularly among
child and adolescent learners (Philp, Oliver, & Mackey, 2008).
2. Theoretical framework
Student engagement has gained much attention over the last several decades
as instructional methods have shifted toward student-centred, constructivist
approaches (Wright, 2011). This study draws on a student engagement model
by Bowden, Tickle, and Naumann (2019) which incorporates four dimensions:
behavioural, emotional, social, and cognitive engagement (Figure 1), and presents
results related to the emotional and social dimensions.

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Dunia Martínez and Christine Appel
The social component of engagement should be considered an essential element
of adolescent and young adult engagement (Bowden et al., 2019). It takes into
account the connections that students make with their peers, faculty, and other
key players in their educational process. Peer inuence becomes more noticeable
during adolescence, as teenagers spend more time with their peers and develop
independence from their parents (Pekrun & Linnenbrink-Garcia, 2012).
Interest, boredom, happiness, anxiety, and other affective states are all examples
of emotional engagement and can all have an impact on how involved students are
in their studies. In a nutshell, emotional engagement refers to both positive and
negative responses to classmates and teachers. It is thought to have an effect on the
student’s motivation to complete the assigned tasks.
Figure 1. The four dimensions of student engagement (based on Bowden et al.,
2019)
This study aims to gain a better understanding of how teenage and young adult
students communicate with one another and their teacher in an EFL class WhatsApp
group. With this objective, we pose the following research question: how do social
and emotional engagement manifest itself in these WhatsApp group interactions?

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Emotional and social engagement of teenager and young adult students...
3. Method
This study was conducted in a real classroom environment in which WhatsApp
was incorporated into natural educational practices. Students used the MIM service
via the mobile app on their smartphones, and there were no mandates or constraints
on how participants should use the app.
The 14 participants were teenage students, aged 13-17, enrolled in a B2 EFL course
in a language school in Catalonia (2021-2022 school year). They were all studying
EFL as an extracurricular activity and are bilingual in Catalan/Spanish. The class
met twice a week for one and a half hour sessions.
The teacher was part of the WhatsApp group, and participation in the study was
voluntary and did not affect grades. Students were encouraged to do different
activities such as speaking tasks, both individually and in pairs, short writing
exercises (Figure 2), and use the WhatsApp group in any way that might help
them.
Figure 2. Example of writing task

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Dunia Martínez and Christine Appel
Data3 was collected by means of a focus group, a Likert scale survey, and a
transcript of the WhatsApp group (Table 1).
Table 1. Data collected
Dimensions of
Engagement
Measuring how
it happened
Type of Analysis Data Sources
SOCIAL • Teacher-student
interactions
• Student-student
interactions
• Creation and
maintenance of
relationships
during the study
• Qualitative
• (Inductive thematic
analysis)
• Quantitative
• Focus group
• WhatsApp group
chat: how they
interact, when,
how often, etc.
• Number of
messages sent
EMOTIONAL • Emotional reactions
• Sense of belonging
• Qualitative
• (Inductive thematic
analysis)
• Quantitative
• Focus group
• Questionnaire
• WhatsApp group
chat: number of
emojis and words
that express
any emotion
4. Results and discussion
4.1. Social engagement
The analysis of the WhatsApp group transcript revealed social phatic expressions
like greetings (73 messages), holiday wishes (28 messages), and birthday wishes
(21 messages), which helped increase students’ sense of friendliness.
There was also self-disclosure of personal information in the chat, which helped
them get to know each other more, and expressions of appreciation (Figure 3).
Students reported that the WhatsApp group was useful for communicating and
socialising with their classmates, especially when in hybrid lessons.
3. Ethical issues and parental permission: as all students are underage, all participants and their parents signed consent forms
for their participation in the study.

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Emotional and social engagement of teenager and young adult students...
Figure 3. Students share personal information and expressions of appreciation
from their classmates
4.2. Emotional engagement
A total of 284 emojis were used in the WhatsApp group out of 846 messages sent
during a school year (September-June). The convenient use of emojis and GIFs
also helped with emotional expression and added some fun to the conversation.
Students in general reported that they had the feeling they had learned and improved
their speaking and writing skills, although four of them mentioned that they did not
nd much difference between using WhatsApp and writing on a piece of paper.
They saw these tasks as the same, using a different tool.
Thirteen out of 14 students sent their speaking audio recordings directly to their
teacher, who gave them oral feedback using a voice-recorded message. Students
reported during the focus group that they felt less embarrassed when sending
their speaking tasks using WhatsApp directly to the teacher because they were
on their own and nobody in class was listening. Some stated they did not like

264
Dunia Martínez and Christine Appel
how their voice sounded; others reported that they did not want their classmates
to notice if they made mistakes. Contrary to what some studies show (Han &
Keskin, 2016), WhatsApp does not always reduce anxiety when speaking.
According to the focus group discussion and the results of the surveys, the
WhatsApp group helped students create a sense of group and connectivity and
improved awareness of peer presence. The teacher’s participation in the group and
her attempt to use this application in an academic setting were well-received by
the students.
5. Conclusions
The present study provided an insight into how social and emotional engagement
develops in an EFL for young learners class WhatsApp group. The WhatsApp group
established a friendly and interactive environment, and students had a strong sense
of belonging within the community. WhatsApp special features helped promote
social interaction and allowed students to share positive and negative emotions
through emojis and GIFs.
WhatsApp provided all students, including those who did not fully engage, with
communicative opportunities. However, further research with a larger number of
students and in different contexts is needed.
References
Andújar, A. (2016). Benets of mobile instant messaging to develop ESL writing. System, 62,
63-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2016.07.004
Bowden, J., Tickle, L., & Naumann, K. (2019). The four pillars of tertiary student engagement
and success: a holistic measurement approach. Studies in Higher Education, 46(6), 1207-
1224. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1672647
Christenson, S., Reschly, A. L., & Wylie, C. (2012). (Eds). Handbook of research on student
engagement (vol. 840). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7
Han, T., & Keskin, F. (2016). Using a mobile application (WhatsApp) to reduce EFL
speaking anxiety. Gist: Education and Learning Research Journal, 12, 29-50. https://doi.
org/10.26817/16925777.243
López-Hernández, F. A., & Silva-Pérez, M. M. (2016). Factores que inciden en la aceptación
de los dispositivos móviles para el aprendizaje en educación superior. Estudios sobre
Educación, 30, 175-195.

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Pekrun, R., & Linnenbrink-Garcia, L. (2012). Academic emotions and student engagement.
In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly & C. Wylie (Eds), Handbook of research on student
engagement (pp. 259-282). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7_12
Philp, J., Oliver, R., & Mackey, A. (2008). (Eds). Second language acquisition and the younger
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Rideout V., & Robb, M. B. (2018, September 10). Social media, social life: teens reveal their
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social-media-social-life-teens-reveal-their-experiences-2018
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Wright, G. B. (2011). Student-centered learning in higher education. International journal of
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